Micronut, this begins to describe Alexey. Friends call him "Iron Russian." A late-comer to climbing (he started in his mid-40's), he's taken on hard, obscure routes with rare passion and drive. He spends endless hours scouting routes, researching possibilities, and training.

Alexey is an amazing climber and inspiring partner. His passion for climbing aesthetic hard trad routes is unique.

About a rest day with Alexey…Once we made a trip to Indian Creek. After several days of hard climbing “thin and wide” I was beaten up, sore, missing skin on my hands and arms. Finally, there was a rainy morning and we declared a long overdue rest day. On the way to Moab the sky darkened and a heavy rain broke up. While driving along the cliffs Alexey asked me to pull over and stop the car. He jumped out, ran up to the base of the wall, stuck his hand into one of the cracks and ran back with a big smile. Totally soaked he uttered: “The cracks are dry; we can climb in the afternoon when we come back.” I was speechless…We came back in the afternoon, the rain turned into showers and sleet…we climbed Quarter of a man. We were the only climbers…